Memories
by milacarr
Summary: Imagine Seeley Booth met and married his wife straight out of college? Inventive AU story, part 2 of three part series. Seeley heads to a relatives funeral in the last chapter of this and meets Angel.Verrry AU. Tragedy at first though.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer- I don't own Booth or Bones, or the FBI. _

_I was inspired one night when talking to my best friend, who just got home from Iraq. We were watching the show, and we just started talking about something like this. I might continue it, something like expanding the memories, or maybe a plot twist here or there. I was thinking about bringing Brennan into the next chapter. Please, if you enjoyed it or even shed a tear, give me your feedback. I would love to hear ideas about this story. I will share the credit. __Anyways, I changed things around. There is no Rebecca, but there is Parker. I gave Booth a family, a reason why he had joined the FBI, and some ties. Just my playground, but…I think it works. Booth is so great with Parker, I think it could be more, __yanno_

Pittsburgh, Winter 1988

Anden McKay was just sixteen years old when she met her life's mate. It was winter of nineteen eighty eight, and Pittsburgh was colder than a witch's teat. The snow was piled high up in the parking lots, the sidewalks, the lawns and especially the roads, and so that forced people into the bar she worked full time in. Bussing tables, serving drinks and brushing drunken hands from places where they didn't belong kept the pixie-like redhead busy. Her parent's bar was off the beaten track for Pittsburgh commuters, but kept busy enough. It served food, and her immigrant parents called it a pub and her family had been publicans for centuries on. As it was, American's called it a bar but her parents were stubborn in the fact that they would name it McKay's Pub. Course, McKay's pub was a replica of the original which held a prominent position on the only paved street in Ayr Scotland, down to the tatted lace curtains which Anden's mother had tatted herself. The atmosphere was relaxed, playful even; full of families and laughter and music. To Anden, there was no where she would rather be.

This night however, was different because he was there. Anden's big round eyes got impossibly bigger as she stared out from behind the bar. HE was here. Seeley Booth, THAT guy. The IT guy at their high school had just walked in and plopped himself into a chair. She had no idea why he would come here, to her place of all places. They had talked once or twice, but she had her own friends, friends which never talked to his friends unless they were being bothered. Her mother bounced her way by with a handful of mugs, each filled to the top with foamy amber beer. Caralien nudged her daughter, trying to push her out from behind the bar.

"Get on then Anden, the tables aren't just going to serve themselves!" Caralien urged her daughter before moving on again. Anden reluctantly moved, grabbing the notepad from her apron and pulling the pen from out of her bun. She moved with ease, ducking in and out of the crowd until she stood before Seeley. Passing him a menu, she looked down at him and held her notepad.

"Something to drink, Seeley?" She said, just barely loud enough to be heard over the crowd.

Seeley started, staring at the tiny girl in front of him. She wore a skirt that brushed her knees, a white extremely low cut shirt with a bodice that pushed her ample breasts up, and boots. Her curly red hair was up in a messy bun, a few curls escaping to caress her cheekbones and down to her chin, framing the sweet little heart shaped face. Big doe eyes stared at him, and as he stared, her head slowly tilted. And her voice lifted again, a sweet little lilt that made him think of leprechauns and kilts.

"I asked ya if you're ready for something to drink Seeley." Anden only reminded him, and he jumped again, cloudy recognition filling his brown eyes. He straightened.

"Hey, you're… Andrea. You go to my school." Seeley started off. He sat back in his chair and smiled a winning smile, one that attempted to cover the pout he had come in with.

"Anden, and yeah, I go to school with you." Anden raised an eyebrow at him and then turned slightly, waving off another customer.

"Oh yeah, Anden. So I'll take a beer." Seeley began to look through the menu, looking back up as she laughed.

"Well Seeley, seein' as you're no older than I, I'll have to decline and get ya a soda." Anden jotted it down on her pad and started off.

"Anden, I said I wanted a beer. Come on Anden, can't you bend the rules for me just a little?" Seeley stood and grabbed Anden by the arm. Anden lifted her head a little, shaking it.

"No, not even for Mr. Popularity. Sorry ducks, but you're stuck on soft drinks at my pub." Anden shook her arm away, surprising Seeley with how easily she shook him off. Anden scooted off, passing other tables and taking other orders as she made her way through the crowded restaurant. Seeley sat then.

"Looks like pixie has some muscles." He said as he watched the crowded pub. Especially the Anden girl who intrigued him. Girls were always falling all over him, and he was quite lucky with them. Normally his charm would have gotten him more than a beer. He decided he would try again when she was back. It only took another moment for Anden to come swinging back through the crowd, depositing the drink at his elbow. He looked up at her.

"So Anden, what time do you get off?" Seeley stood and loomed over her, ducking his head in until his face was inches from hers. His hand came up and stroked along her arm, teasing her inner elbow gently. Anden once more lifted a brow, thinking he was mad as a hatter. She didn't pull away though, and lifted her face up to his, looking through her lashes at him.

"Far past your bedtime, my love." She purred up at him and spun away, wading back into the crowd as if she controlled it. Seeley stood shocked as if someone had touched a live wire to him, stunned that that little slip of a girl had just called him a child. Tossing money down onto the table, he turned and stormed out of the bar.

Anden noticed exactly when he left, pouting like a petulant child. Her mother sidled up as Anden built a frou frou drink for a customer, leaning against the bar and staring at her only daughter.

"Now you looked so cozy to that lad, why'd he storm out?" Caralien grinned to Anden, a full grin splitting her lips. Anden's mother was just as pretty as she, full of life and young looking. Just as short, a little curvier, and a lot more flirtatious than her daughter had yet to be, Caralien was happily married to Loren, the man who was just now coming from the kitchen with a heavy tray. Her father was tall, over six feet with curly blue black hair than came past his shoulders. Anden's attention turned from her father over to her mother once more, and released the lip that was clasped between her teeth.

"That Seeley would flirt with the dog if she came close enough Mam." Anden grinned over to her mother before popping an umbrella into the drink and taking it along to the customer.

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The next day at school came, and when Anden opened her locker she found a vase of red roses there. A note was attached, and as she read it, she couldn't help but laugh. Seeley had simply wrote, 'To extending my bedtime.' Anden lifted the roses and took them across the hallway to where Seeley lounged against another bank of lockers.

"Come to thank me, Anden?" Seeley asked cockily. Anden merely grinned and pushed the roses into his hands.

"I don't like roses Seeley, they're so unoriginal. But I do appreciate the gesture." And with that she swung off to class, leaving Seeley staring open mouthed after her.

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After school, Anden slipped into her tennis shoes and began the four mile run to the pub. Jogging along steadily, she had zoned out when a red camaro pulled up in front of her. Snapping out of her haze, she tried to slow herself, but she slid on a patch of ice and slammed into the side of the camaro. The door opened, and the driver got out, moving behind her and gripping her elbow to help her up. She looked up, still stunned from her crash.

"Jesus Anden, wouldja watch where you're going? I've been calling your name for five minutes now!" Seeley growled as he deposited her on her feet. Patting the snow from her pants and jacket, he looked her over. She hadn't pulled away yet, but she didn't quite look all there.

"I'm alright, I'm supposing. Nothing hurts terribly." Anden flushed as she turned to get out of his way.

"I can give you a ride if you want." Seeley offered. Anden tried to think of something to say to put him off further, but couldn't so she just nodded, allowing him to usher her over to the passenger seat, opening the door for her, closing it when she was in. He raced around to the driver's seat and pulled back into traffic, driving along.

"I'm going to the pub." She merely said.

"So why didn't you want the roses?" Seeley asked a moment later. He looked at her as he drove, watching her fidgeting with the straps on the backpack.

"I don't know why you're showing interest in me, Seeley." Anden admitted honestly. She lifted a hand and pointed across him to the entrance to the pub. "Ya can drop me off there if you want." She directed. He nodded and pulled in.

"You're a little bit different from other girls. I know I've got a bit of a rep, but I just…. Everyone needs a friend, Anden." Seeley too admitted. He figured it Anden could let down her guard, show him just a little bit of what was behind her mask, he could show her a bit behind his as well. Anden nodded, a sweet little smile crossing her face. She offered her hand to him as soon as he stopped in the parking lot, and he took it.

"Then we're friends, Seeley." Anden said. Tugging her hand away, she grabbed for the roses in the backseat and scampered along to disappear inside the bar, leaving Seeley blinking in her wake. That girl could move, he thought to himself.

Once inside, Anden tossed her book bag onto the stairs leading up to the family apartments, then strolled into the kitchen, depositing the roses on the worktable where her father and her brother were chopping vegetables for some dish. She reached out and snagged on a carrot, munching on it as her father and her brother stared at the roses, then each other, then finally at her.

"So you've got another admirer." Loren put down his knife and regarded his youngest, his only daughter.

"Another stalker? Glory Anden, can't you stop your flirting?" demanded Liam, her eighteen year old brother. His hair was black, and almost the splitting image of their father. He only looked at her for another moment before going back to chopping vegetables.

"Nay, it's just a friend."Anden silently added 'I hope' before scooping up her flowers and moving on her way. She danced along to the rhythm her two middle brothers were playing on their drums in the musician's pit. She waved to the twins Jeremiah and Jonathan, who nodded back without breaking their rhythm, then set her roses on the bar in front of her mother, who was folding paper napkins into the metal dispensers. A few customers were scattered about, and her brother Tom was waiting on them. He was the eldest at twenty six, and he would never let his siblings forget it. He was tall like their father, with curly red hair tied into a ponytail at the base of his neck. Whenever possible, he wore a big leather cowboy hat, he swore it was an Australian shepherder's hat, but Anden usually sniggered at him behind his back. Anden leaned against the bar for a moment, helping her mother stuff the dispensers before she nodded towards upstairs.

"I'm going to go change, alright Mam?" Anden tilted her head, and at her mothers nod she ducked back into the kitchen and towards the stairs. Taking the stairs two at a time, she raced upstairs to change into the wench's bodice and skirt which was kind of her uniform here. She took extra time with her hair, leaving it down and only putting the front bit back, like a half ponytail. Curls cascaded around her face, once more framing her pretty features. She brushed on gold and green eye shadow, the colors bringing out the emerald of her eyes and turning it slightly smoky. She painted her mouth a tawny red, then looked at the time. She was almost late for work. She looked back at herself in the mirror, then winked at herself. Once more she slipped the mask back on, ready to flirt and ready to tempt. She turned and made her way back downstairs, back out to the pub.

Once out, she worked for a few hours and then sat back to her brothers playing. They only worked a few nights a week at the pub, just for spending money to get them by through college. They were brilliant musicians however, and Anden truly loved to listen to them. They finished the song they were playing, and Jeremiah lifted his head to look at her.

"Come, sing with us." He instructed, holding his hand out to her. Anden began to refuse. The pub had definitely begun to pick up; nearly all the tables were full now. She looked to her father who was manning the bar, and he merely nudged her out of the way with his hip.

"Go and sing girl. Lord knows, those boys need all the help they can get." Loren drawled without looking up. Anden hugged her father then hopped over the bar, landing on a stool on the other side. She slid off and went up to the small stage, whispering with her brothers. Picking up the microphone, listening to the music as it began to pick up. Miah had lifted his violin up, and Jon had picked up a wooden flute. The bittersweet strains of the old song filled the suddenly quiet bar, and after a moment, Anden's voice lifted. Sweet, and yet her voice tugged the heartstrings as she sang about selling all of her possessions to buy her love a sword, only to have the lover die.

And that's where Seeley found her as he came into the pub. She was singing her heart out, one second strong and full, and the next her voice sliding down to seem as if full of tears. Seeley looked around to see more than one set of eyes full of tears as she ended her song, and even he, who had missed most of the song, had to blink tears from his own eyes. His hands lifted to join in the applause as she put the microphone away, and the men began to play quietly once more. More than one person called for an encore, but she merely waved and promised for later. Seeley grinned as she came towards him, sweeping her hands as if ushering him to a table.

"And what brings ya here again, Seeley?" She asked as she showed him to a table. He sat and smiled up to her.

"Got hungry. Isn't that usually what brings a man to a pub?" He teased her.

"Oh aye, there's that. There's also thirst, a yen to hear some good music, or just to see people." She ticked off on her fingers. Anden reached across him to grab a menu which ran her cleavage into his face. His eyes goggled out as he smelled her. She smelled wonderfully spicy, like danger and fun, and yet something…incredibly arousing. He shifted both his body and his gaze about, ducking behind the menu as soon as it was offered.

"Another soda for my love?" She asked. Of course, she had only used the term as in just luv, like mate, but to Seeley, his eyes goggled out. She didn't know what she was doing. Hell, Seeley didn't know what she was doing.

"So when do you get off?" Seeley asked, pointing out his choices to her. She nodded and jotted it down.

"Past your bedtime ducks." Anden answered once more and again disappeared through the crowd.

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It took another week before Anden agreed to see a movie with Seeley. A year down the road found Seeley and Anden dating as seniors in high school. Seeley was once again the quarterback, and Anden was still working at the pub. Seeley had taken the time to look at Anden, really look at her. His girl was brilliant. Then again, he wouldn't have a dumb girl again, would he? The first time he had gone into her bedroom, he was a bit shocked. Anden lived in the attic loft, most of the room covered with dress dolls and two large desks. Bolts of fabric covered one desk, spilling out to form piles around the room, while the other was covered with pieces of material being cut out. Old books were propped against the wall in the corner of the desk, and it seemed she was copying these dresses from the ancient books. Her bed was under a south facing window, but he could barely see it through the layers of filmy fabric hanging from the ceiling and around her bed. Anden shyly turned to Seeley and hitched a shoulder.

"What can I say, I'm a nerd." She shrugged and scuffed the toes of one boot against the wooden floor.

"I've known that for a while. But Jeez Andy, this place is so fricken awesome!" Seeley rushed to the window, looking out, then dashed to the bed to peer inside. Her bed was covered with a velvet comforter, plush and warm looking, while her sheets were golden satin. He blinked at his girlfriend, mouth hanging open. "So awesome." He repeated as he dove onto the bed.

"Seel, I want to go to college to be an anthropologist. I think I would like… bodies and stuff." Anden shrugged as she slid onto the other side of the bed, laying on her back and cupping her hands behind her head.

"Yeah? You're really good at anatomy and stuff." Seeley nodded as he lay next to her, stretching out identically to her, his own hands cupped behind his head. They stared at the fabric swathed ceiling as if it were a cloudy sky. Anden rolled to her stomach and crawled until her face hovered over his. Leaning down, she kissed him softly, then propped herself up on his elbow, studying him for a moment.

"Four months till graduation, Seeley." Anden said quietly, almost grimly. She paused for a moment, stealing another kiss from him before continuing on. "What happens with us then?" Anden wanted to know. Seeley's brow creased, as if he had never considered the possibility that some day they would separate.

"You and I got accepted to a bunch of colleges together, pretty Andy. We'll just pick one together, and that'll be that." Seeley decided. He leaned up and bit at Anden's bottom lip, tugging on it before flopping back to her bed.

"And what are you to be studying then, Seeley my dear?" Anden asked a bit. Seeley had lost all of his prospective scholarships when he wrenched his knee at the third game of this year, and had to leave the football team. He was back to full health, but unfortunately the chance had passed.

"You." Seeley grinned and rolled onto Anden, peppering her face in kisses.

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PRESENT DAY

Thirty five year old Anden Booth shut her old journal carefully, blinking away the memories that haunted her. Setting aside the journal, she listened carefully to hear if that really was the front door she had heard, or if the house was quiet. She listened for a few minutes, but the sound didn't repeat itself. Anden had just been hearing things. Anden rolled over in the bed and reached out to where Seeley had slept, imagining for just a moment that she could still feel the warmth from him. As she moved, she saw the picture they had taken on graduation day. Her eyes filled with tears as another memory hit her square in the face.

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Pittsburgh, May 1990

Seeley stared at himself in the mirror on the morning of graduation. His birthday had been a mere week before, making him newly eighteen. He was a man now, a man who was deciding a very important part of his life today. He looked down at the box in his hand, flipping it open and staring at the ring inside. The stone was small, but he had worked and sweated along Anden in honest labor for it. He hadn't asked his grandparents for the money like he had for most everything else he owned. He had worked for the engagement ring. Snapping the ring box closed, he tucked it into his pocket and tightened his tie up. Looking at the clock, he saw it was nearly noon. Time to go get Anden. He grabbed his hat and graduation robe and strode downstairs, telling his mother goodbye and driving to the pub. He went up the back stairs to the family apartments, letting himself in. Anden stood on a chair while Caralien was assisting Anden in pinning up the gown she had created for her graduation. The dress was deep green satin, a scoop neck that curved around her arms in the illusion of sleeves, hugged her breasts and lid down her curves to fall to the floor. The right side was slit nearly to her hip on the right, and just above the knee parted and fell away. When Anden stepped down from the stool, Seeley's mouth fell open as he discovered the slit to her hip. And then Anden turned, and he found the back simply wasn't there. The dress scooped down to nestle at the small of her back.

"So I'm assuming you like the dress?" Anden grinned at Seeley over her shoulder. Seeley swallowed hard, bringing moisture to his suddenly dry mouth, shifting where his suit pants suddenly became very, very tight.

"I'm beginning to think you're trying to off me in some way, Anden." Seeley croaked. Caralien came by and patted his shoulder, gave him a hug.

"Now take care of my baby." Caralien lifted a fist to tap Seeley on the jaw. "Or I'll be lettin' ya feel my fist for real lad." She grinned and went out the door towards the stairs. Seeley gulped once more, feeling as skittish as a colt. He looked to Anden, then dropped to one knee, tugging out the ring box. Snapping it open, he proffered it to her.

Anden looked down, tilting her head as Seeley dropped to his knee. She was terribly curious, as the pub didn't get many proposals, and she didn't think one kneed proposals happened anywhere but movies.

"What are you doing Seeley?" She asked, stepping forward to him. She took the ring box he pushed towards her.

"Anden, I wanted to ask you to be my wife." Seeley stated seriously. Anden thought for a few seconds.

"I would love to say yes, Seeley. In fact, if you give me a moment, I will say yes." She said as she tugged him up, squirmed his arms around her and nestled into his arms. Leaning her chin on his chest, she thought for a moment. "This is a big step, Seel. We're not even in college yet. Jobs are… well we've always got a job, but… It's a bit thing lover." Anden bit her bottom lip for a moment. "Love isn't all we need… But love makes a lot of things better, so I'd be happy to have you for a husband." She grinned and leaned up to kiss him. She was extremely lucky Seeley had been patient. Opening the ring box once more, she slid the ring onto her finger.

"Well I'm glad you made up your mind" Seeley said dryly before pulling back.

That night they had made Parker, Anden recalled, in the bed in Atlantic City where Seeley had taken her out. He had a fake ID to gamble, and as she recalled, he was quite good at it. To Seeley's dismay, they weren't able to get married that night, as Anden was just a little ways away from being eighteen. But Anden also recalled when she had turned eighteen; Seeley had taken them back to that same city to be married away from all the fuss her parents and his mother were making.

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Washington DC, Present Day once more.

Anden couldn't sleep any longer. Pushing up, she stood and pulled herself into her bathrobe, tying the belt as she padded out into the hallway. She trailed her hand along the edges of picture frames. Biting her lip to keep from crying as she stroked her fingers along the edge of one picture. Seeley in his Army uniform. Seeley was twenty one when he had enlisted into the army. He hadn't even asked her, just came home one day and looked her square in the face, told her he had joined the army and was heading into boot camp next week. She didn't exactly react well. Seeley's face had held the imprint of her palm for nearly the whole day. Parker hadn't been that happy with him either, refusing to even look at his father. Even at two, the little punk had been intense, Anden remembered. So Seeley had gone off to war with his family being barely civil to him. Anden smiled and moved to the next picture. Seeley was triumphantly displaying their second child, little Lieney. His chin was lifted, his eyes narrowed, and the overall effect was something that had Anden grinning once more. She called it the 'Look what I did' look. Seeley was in his dress uniform, his hat tilted back on his head. A framed letter was next. Seeley had written the letter to Parker and Anden, apologizing for joining up without talking to either of them. It had been a humbling experience for him, to admit that he was no longer by himself. He had to remind himself of this often though.

Anden moved along again. Seeley had framed his FBI acceptance letter. Anden sighed, this time letting the tears fall.

"This was supposed to be the safe assignment Seeley." She whispered. Swallowing the lump in her throat that the tears brought, she moved to the stairs and went down to the first floor. Everything reminded her of Seeley, everywhere through their home was a memory, but that's all that she had anymore. Memories of Seeley, memories of her life, memories of her husband and raising her children. She paused by another picture of Seeley and pressed her finger to her lip, and then to the picture.

"I still love you, Seeley Booth. Wait for me, will ya?"


	2. Chapter 2

_Well hello again, to all who are reading this. Once again a reminder, I appreciate reviews and especially intelligent input. Please feel free to contact me. I own nothing; I'm just playing with the characters. I promise to put them back as… close as to how I found them when I'm finished._

It was bright when Anden woke, slumped with her head on her arms at the kitchen table. Sunlight streamed in from the windows, momentarily blinding her. And then she realized just what had woken her. There was pounding, and finally it sunk in that it wasn't her head. Standing and stumbling towards the front door, she undid the latch and opened it.

"Oh sweetie, you look…" Angela trailed off as she pulled Anden into a hug, rubbing her hands up and down her back before thrusting her away to take another look at her. The fine boned face was puffy, red and had tear trails down her face. But it was still Anden, little pixie-like Anden, who had only aged a few months it seemed, instead of the twenty years. She still looked like a teen, unlike Seeley who had grown into a man. Her heart ached at the thought of him, but she squared her shoulders and turned her attention to Angela once more.

"I know how I must look Ange," Anden stepped further back and invited Angela in. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Bones who looked about as well as she imagined she did.

"I know it must be hitting you both pretty hard. Cam told me that the kids were at your parents so I decided you might need some cheering up." Angela grabbed the bags that were on the stoop, pushing two at Anden then taking a few more. Anden saw chips and hamburgers and bottles of wine.

"Lord be, Ange. You didn't really have to do this." Anden started to protest. But Bones just shook her head, setting her bags on the kitchen counter.

"It's alright to remember him, and let him go Anden, anthropologically speaking." Bones put in and plopped down on the stool at the kitchen counter. Anden sank down onto the stool next to her and cupped her face in her hands.

"I just… It's been twenty years Tempe. I never thought past the today, I never imagined there would be a day I'd have to say goodbye. Not even when that bastard took himself off to fight in the Middle East."Anden paused, sniffled though no more tears would come. "The FBI was supposed to be the safe job." Anden repeated.

"Nothing is ever safe when one is a homicide investigator." Ange put in. "Hell, even I get threats now and again. Nothing we ever do is safe. That's part of life, Andy." Angela put a hand on each of their shoulders. "So let's open the wine and tell some Booth stories." Angela reached into one of the bags and grabbed a bottle of wine, moving to a cabinet and grabbing three glasses.

"It's too early!" Anden proclaimed. "Though I can't believe I'm saying that." Anden laughed a bit. Angela moved around the kitchen with ease, knowing exactly where to go. She poured the wine then grabbed a bag of chips, tearing the plastic open.

"It's almost four in the afternoon." Tempe said as she grabbed a glass and a handful of chips.

"Jesus Mary and Joseph. I slept that long?" Anden looked to the clock, then grabbed a glass and took a few swallows. "So Seeley stories then?" She looked to Ange, who nodded. "Let's start with favorites then. Ange, what's your favorite Seeley story?"

"Well. I'd have to say that one Christmas, when Booth got stoned off that vaccination to the Valley Fever? 'What are the lights on the ceiling Doc?'" Angela mimicked the tone of Seeley's voice almost perfectly, and that had Anden grinning. It was a memorable Christmas for them all. Even Anden, who hadn't been there but had been at home with three angry children, one of whom actually understood why Seeley was gone. One didn't care, and the other simply didn't understand what quarantine was until Seeley had come home later.

"That was actually a bit annoying, cause I totally wanted the stoned effects." Ange pouted. Tempe grinned and shrugged a bit.

"Booth was always an overbearing alpha male, but I remember this time when we were checking out the house of this one suspect. We reached to open the door, and there was this little wire, and Booth wouldn't let me go in. I got angry at him, used some choice words with him. But he didn't listen to me, and pretty much as soon as we got to the car, the house just blam, blew up." Tempe reached for the bottle of wine and filled them all up. Anden made a face and pushed up, going to the cabinet and taking down a large bottle of whiskey. Taking three shot glasses down, she set them in front of the three, pouring shots.

"I'm sorry they're not Dixie cups, but shot's will have to do." Anden grinned and knocked back her shot, refilling her glass.

"So what's your memory?" Tempe asked Anden, who shrugged slightly. "How do you choose one memory out of twenty years of them?" Anden paused to think as she munched on a hamburger. She balled up the waxed paper, crinkling it idly.

"Well, tell us about your honeymoon?" Ange got a dreamy look on her face. Anden grinned to Angela and tossed the ball of waxed paper at her.

"Well, it wasn't anything like the sordid affair you had with your first husband. We discovered Parker was soon to be born, as I couldn't stop throwing up. We went on a cruise to the Caribbean, and… I'd never been seasick a day in my life. I'd no idea just why I was losing my lunch, so Seeley insisted that we take a pregnancy test. He'd never really been too overbearing alpha male-like until the day he saw that pregnancy test. Ever since then, he's been terrible. But it's sweet. Like this one time when I was so tired. Lieney had just been born, and so I was dealing with a six month old girl who already had a temper on top of Parker, who was just about two and a half. Those terrible twos." Anden smiled fondly. "Seeley came home and wrangled the kids up after his shift at the pub, which let me tell you is no picnic. The customers at my parents pub had never been too terribly happy after I left, and saw Seeley as the bad guy for 'taking me away'. He was just as exhausted as I was, and yet he cooked dinner, bathed the kids, and put them to bed. All while I laid face-down on the couch." Anden laughed. Tempe grinned widely, and Ange just pouted slightly.

"Sully went to the Caribbean. Why does everyone like going to sail down there?" Tempe put in.

"Freedom, Tempe. Freedom." Anden grinned at that, remembering how she loved to take her little boat out, sailing around the coast from Pennsylvania to the islands as a young girl with Tom, her oldest brother. Sometimes Tom would stop on an island and let her take the big boat out by herself, as long as she came to get him the next day. She felt like a pirate, that she did, as she sailed out on the sea and snuck drinks of the rum her brother enjoyed. All three of her children loved sailing as much as she, and even Seeley had come to love it after a while, though they hadn't done it in some time.

"I don't understand." Tempe said, her face contorting in confusion.

"The sea down there is warm, the breeze a constant on the sea. It feels free to sail down there. To sail anywhere, really. No rules, just the breeze blowing through your hair and the spray of the sea on your face." Anden's face got dreamy as she spoke. Angela patted Tempe on the arm and smiled.

"No rules, just right, like Outback Steakhouse." Angela used the copyrighted motto that Seeley had spent so long explaining. Tempe nodded, as if suddenly understanding.

"I was hoping your favorite memory was some hot steamy love scene," Ange pouted as she sipped at the scotch. Anden smiled and refilled the glasses before leaning her chin on her hand.

"Seeley and I could never really keep our hands off one another," Anden sighed. She brightened almost as soon as the sigh ended, giggling excitedly."Remember that Christmas party, the one after the Valley Fever thing? Cullen nearly suspended Seeley for the way I was dancing with him." Anden grinned, and she saw the look on the other's faces as they too remembered. Anden had been drinking quite copiously down in the lab with Zach and Hodgins, trying out their moonshine pure liquor, and she was quite snockered by the time Seeley had come looking for her. Knowing his wife loved to dance, he took her out of the dance floor, and that's when he discovered just how soused she really was. Her body had rubbed all sorts of sinful over his body, and both of them were half naked by the time they were "escorted" home by a couple of his fellow agents. At first, Anden remembered he tried to get her to stop, but after a few minutes he couldn't hold back, and had her writhing just as much as he was. The sex had been fantastic that night; it had Seeley walking six kinds of funny, and Anden herself couldn't sit straight for nearly two days.

"So speaking of hot steamy lovin', just how was Seeley in the sack?" Ange couldn't help herself. She had entertained all sorts of fantasies on Booth until she found out he was married, and had been for almost fifteen years at that point.

"Well, we have three children, and would have had a dozen if it weren't for birth control." Anden grinned, trying not to blush. It wasn't the fact that she minded talking about her sex life, but… These were her husband's co workers!

"I thought Catholics didn't use birth control." Tempe put in. Anden waved her hand.

"Most Catholics don't have Seeley as a husband, either. Or me for a wife." Anden murmured. Ange's eyes grew very wide, and Tempe blushed, her eyes finding their way to her lap.

She looked out the window as a big black SUV when by. She did that every time one of those damn trucks drove by. "It just doesn't feel like he's gone, you know? Two weeks ago it was our anniversary for Christ's sake. He turned thirty five only last month!" Anden looked down, sighing. It wasn't fair that Seeley was taken from her so soon. She had spent more time with Seeley than without him by this point, and while she wasn't the type to have no life without her husband, it was definitely… strange not to have her husband in her life anymore.

"Andy, he's dead. We buried him." Ange said. Anden shrugged and sighed.

"When Liam died, I felt it. I felt it when Seeley's dad died." Anden put in. "But I didn't feel when Seeley died. I didn't see his face, and although his body was mangled, I'm still not sure it was him." Anden looked to Tempe, who nodded.

"Although I have every reason to have confidence in the authentication department, they are not primarily remains handlers. I doubt this was Seeley as well." Tempe put in hesitantly.

"If he's not dead, then why hasn't he come home?" Angela put in. "Why hasn't he called or even written?" Angela just said, and all three went silent. Finally, Tempe broke the silence.

"Are you going to be alright off Seeley's pension?" Bones asked as she ripped open a bag of tortilla chips. She took one, then tossed it down and hopped off the stool, going to rummage through the fridge. Anden watched as she took out salsa, and then brought it back to the counter.

"Seeley never really told you what I do, did he?" Anden asked softly. Tempe shook her head, and then looked to Ange, who shrugged.

"No, sweety. We used to ask, but he just said you would tell us whenever you felt like it." Ange explained. Anden grabbed for her wine, then went up towards the stairs to the second floor. She paused about halfway up.

"It's easier if you guys just come up." Anden said. Tempe and Ange ran after her, pushing at each other playfully on the stairs. Both were terribly curious. Anden just grinned and continued upwards. She paused at what looked like the door to a closet and opened it. A small staircase ran upwards to the attic, and she grabbed the railing to steady herself as she went. She stopped at the entrance to her studio, where dress dummies lined one wall, each with an outfit of varying completion. The wall directly in front of them had dummies that had completed outfits. There was a couple with wedding dresses, but mostly held outfits that characters from movies had worn. Or at least, they looked like the outfits. There were tables once more covered with material, sewing machines and large mirrors. Anden swept a hand out as both Angela and Tempe gasped. Ange swung around and pinned her with a glare.

"You never told us you were Anden McKay the movie costume designer," She accused. Anden shrugged, moving further in her workshop and stroking a hand down a set of leather armor.

"You never asked. Seeley was his own person, and I was content just… letting people assume I was his housewife." Anden grinned and folded her arms behind her back, letting the two play through her workshop. They couldn't do much damage up here that couldn't be fixed…could they?

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An hour later, Tempe and Angela were begging her forgiveness as they tried to piece together the outer plastic shell of her embroidery machine. Anden just laughed and helped them up.

"Let's just go downstairs, girls." Anden suggested, and then walked along towards the door. She stopped, giving each a look that said simply 'move or I'll hurt you.' Both women eeped and ran towards the door. Anden grinned. Momma still had it. She stepped out and carefully closed the door behind her, then followed to the downstairs. The rest of the night found them eating pizza, drinking pretty much everything in sight, and watching movies. It was as if they were healing one another's hurt.

By the time Anden got Angela and Tempe settled into the guest rooms, Anden was seriously wondering how she was standing up straight. Then again, thoughts like that from her were most like due to the lack of alcohol; Tempe had cut her off a couple hours ago. Apparently no one could consume that much beer without being drunk. Anden shook her head as she climbed the stairs to her own bed. Obviously hey underestimated the publican in her. A few moments later found her snuggling into her down comforter, a little less of a comfort tonight as her bed was empty for the first time in ten years. Even when Seeley was gone overnight on cases, their eight year old son Aidan still snuck in to sleep on his father's side of the bed. When asked, Aidan said it made him feel safe when Daddy was gone. But tonight, not even Aidan was there. Anden sniffled and curled herself tighter, trying to stave off the loneliness coursing through her. Soon, sleep overcame her and she was lost in the black.

Seeley crept in as best he could, trying to keep his weight off his left leg as best as possible. The scars on the bottom of his feet had been noticed by his captors, and his captors had broken the now decidedly more delicate bones of his left foot, before rubbing shards of glass along the soles of his feet. His left foot had the most cuts. His face bore numerous bruises, his right arm was in a sling, and his breathing was still ragged from where he had been partially strangled. Still, he did his best to creep up the stairs, finding his bed in the dark that came from years of living in the same house. He kicked off his shoes in the direction of the closet, wincing when they thumped against the door. Anden stirred slightly when she felt the mattress dip under his weight, but she only rolled over, facing him. Seeley could see she was still asleep, so he slid into the bed, trying his best to pull her close and hold her. He released the breath he had been internally holding for the last week, ever since he and a carload of agents had been kidnapped by Gormagon. Rage filled his mind for a moment as his thoughts turned to that cannibalistic bastard, and he cringed. Memories were here as well. Although he had been tortured horribly in Afghanistan, it was nothing compared to the horror of this week. Nothing spelled torture the way of fear of being eaten did. His arms tightened roughly around Anden for a moment, until her hand came up and sleepily patted his cheek.

"There's a good lad Aidan." She murmured and promptly relaxed once more, already asleep. Seeley just kissed her hair and tried to relax himself. It wasn't working though, and so he wandered back downstairs, rummaging through the trashed kitchen for a glass. Turning to the fridge, he got out the milk and poured himself a glass. When he shut it, he turned to lean on the counter as he drank, but instead saw his partner, her fist pressed to her open mouth. And as he stepped towards her, she screamed and ran up the stairs.

"Anden! Anden come downstairs! Wake up, wake up!" Tempe ran up the stairs and into Anden's room, shaking the younger woman awake. Anden woke with a start and pushed Tempe off.

"What, what?" Anden said blearily.

"Booth's downstairs!" Tempe shouted. Anden jumped out of bed, running towards the stairs almost blindly. She slammed into Seeley, who grunted as he caught the brunt of her blow, also slamming up into the wall.

"Jesus Anden, it's alright." Seeley said softly, trying his best to soothe the women. Anden peered up at him, touched his face and them promptly passed out.

"Well shit, that went well."


	3. Chapter 3

_Another chapter, eh?__ Just as a reminder, you should read __My__ sister's back before this one. Or at the same time, hey! And just a reminder, all characters herein recognized will be present for supper. I promised Fox ;)_

For the first time in his life, Seeley found he was unable to lift his wife. Grunting, he let her gently down to the floor and watched helplessly as she struggled to wake. Bones knelt beside Anden and patted her cheek gently.

"Surprise, I'm not dead?" He attempted humor weakly. Bones lifted his chin and glared at him for a brief moment before helping a groggy Anden into a sitting position.

"Not that we're not glad that you're amongst the living my love, but… care to explain how?" Anden pushed herself into a shaky stand and shoved her hands in the pockets of her jeans.

"How much did Cullen tell you?" Seeley asked warily. Tempe shifted and turned down the hallway, knocking on one of the guestroom doors. She knew Angela wouldn't be asleep just yet, as a drunken Ange was a happy Ange, and a happy Ange wouldn't be so easily to fall asleep. Angela popped out and trailed out after Tempe. Once she saw Seeley, she launched herself into a run and tackled him with a squeal. Course, Booth was already braced against the wall from Anden's tumble that he just grimaced and bit his cheek to keep from grunting again.

"What? I figured he wouldn't want to give his report more than once." Tempe shrugged at Anden's stare.

"Cullen didn't feel he was able to tell us much." Anden frowned. Once more her fingertips burrowed into her pockets, an odd stance for the normally self confident woman.

"Well, a little more than a week ago Jones, Martinez, Roberts, Michaels and I were just getting off assignment. We had a poker thing planned, so we were stopped by the corner market for some beer and snacks, and… well, Gorgonzola ambushed us. Drugged us and took us back to his little lair, right? Cause he's so bad he's gotta have a lair. Anyways, he decides he's going to have to play with us a little bit before he eats us. The first to go was Michaels." Seeley paused and drew Anden close, tucking his chin onto her head, his arms wrapping around her middle tightly. His breathing grew ragged, and although his voice was normal in the beginning, his voice was now filling with emotion as if he were reliving it. "The guy chewed on him like he was a fucking steak. And he made us all watch. After that, he started watching us. He put my feet in buckets of ice so my old wounds would act up again; he broke Jones' fingers to crumbles. Broke Jones so bad Jones died before the guy could even really…hurt him. I mean really hurt him, like he did Roberts. .Anyways, as soon as Jones and Michaels died, Gorgonzola sent the bodies to the FBI. Cullen told me the Authentications department had mistaken me for Michaels or something like that. But see, Gorgonzola underestimated us, I like to think. He came in, and we had climbed up the ceiling and got the drop on him." Seeley's voice changed once more, as if he were giddy. "I fucking shot that bastard. I did it, and I don't regret it. I got him." Seeley finished. He calmed again and gave a soft sigh. "Not that I'm proud of it, but that guy was a sick one."

No one spoke for a few minutes, not even to correct Booth in his name for Gormagon. Tempe was staring between her three companions, Angela merely staring at Seeley as if he were possessed. Anden didn't care to be honest. Yes, Seeley had gone through hell and she cared about that, but in all honesty, she had her husband back. Her hands came up and covered his, her fingers tracing along his arms.

"I guess we'll have to schedule more sessions with Sweets then." Tempe said. Anden squirmed as she felt Seeley tense up.

"No!" Seeley shouted, startling the three women.

"No, why not Booth? You liked Sweets." Tempe stared at her partner in confusion.

"Sweets is Gormagon, Bones." Seeley explained. Tempe looked confused, looking between Angela and Booth.

"No, he can't be Gormagon. He consulted on all those cases" Tempe protested.

"Oh ho, Bones, but he can. The only reason he consulted was to make sure he could see his stuff. And make sure he wouldn't get caught, by steering us away from him. He monologued." Seeley explained as if it was an afterthought.

"I need a drink." Tempe said and started downstairs.

"Speaking of which…Why is the kitchen trashed?" Seeley asked, staying where he was with Anden. She seemed to have fallen asleep once more, leaning against him. Seeley gave a small smile and shook her awake, sending her in to bed.

"Party." Was all Angela and Bones said before they trooped downstairs.

"Don't make too much of a mess down there! Kids are coming in the morning!" Seeley called after them before following Anden to bed. He found her sitting on the edge of the bed. He came up behind her and rubbed his hand along her back. She turned to him, tears filling her eyes but not escaping yet.

"I thought I'd lost you." Anden said quietly. Seeley pulled her close again, rocking her slightly as he kissed her hair.

"I thought I was lost," Seeley admitted as he pulled back after a moment. Anden smacked his arm slightly, though her eyes showed that she was well and truly annoyed.

"This was supposed to be the safe job, Seeley!" She yelled at him. Seeley winced and ducked his head.

"It's safer than being a Ranger." He pointed out guiltily.

"You gotta be more careful out there. I mean, you've only been… almost killed a thousand times, what's once more? But this time here was a fucking FUNERAL Seeley." Anden scolded, but her fire had died out. "But you did good…so far. Just don't leave us yet." Anden ended up begging quietly. Seeley sighed and began stripping off the sling on his arm. He undressed quietly, not knowing what to say. Anden changed and joined him in bed.

"I… I'm sorry, Seeley. This has just been really hard on all of us, even you. I understand that. But… I don't know any other way to react." Anden murmured. Seeley lay on his back and opened his arms to her, and she gratefully snuggled up to him, her hair pillowed on his chest.

"Believe me Anden, I know. All I could think of when I was out there was the way you were going to kill me when I got home. But you know, I'd rather have you kill me than some cannibal." Seeley grinned down to her. She grinned back, her fingers exploring along the expanse of his bare torso. It was mostly free from damage, and purely out of curiosity, Anden's fingers dipped under the waistband of Seeley's sleep pants to see if he was damaged there, too.

The next morning Anden padded downstairs to search for coffee. Angela and Tempe were at the kitchen table, drinking cups of the heavenly ambrosia. Anden fumbled for a cup, then filled a mug. Opening the frig, she found the creamer and put that in her coffee, then plopped her weary self into a chair.

"So is it like that every night?" Angela's eyes glowed as she looked at Anden. Anden blinked blearily, then buried her face into the big mug, slurping at the bitter goodness.

"What like what every night?" Anden finally asked. Angela stared at her for a moment.

"You know, the sex?" Angela stared at her friend again. Anden looked at her now empty mug, flipping it over and shaking it over the table just to make sure there wasn't any more.

"Thank God, no. It was pretty mild last night." Anden stood and found the coffee pot again, refilling her cup before draining it black. As she drank, she surveyed the wreck of a kitchen. She'd deal with that later. She refilled her cup, adding creamer again, before filling another mug with the flavored creamer Seeley liked, and coffee. She nodded to her friends before starting up the stairs.

"Hey, you're kidding right?" Angela stood to follow Anden, still not believing her.

"I never kid about my sex life." Anden grinned as she disappeared into her room once more.

"Wow." Angela breathed as she sank down onto the bottom step. "Who'da thought he'd have it in him?"

"Booth is an athletic man; it's very possible he does." Tempe supplied as she looked up the stairs.

"And they've been together how long?" Angela demanded.

"Anden said they've been together since they were sixteen. So nineteen years?" Tempe said.

"Nineteen years and theyre still going at it like that? Jesus…there's something wrong with them somewhere." Angela grinned. She stood and began to clear up the empty bottles and trash from the counters. It only took Tempe and Angela about half an hour to clean up the mess, which was about the time it took for Anden to coax Seeley from bed. She came back downstairs, showered and dressed. She tossed the two mugs carefully into the sink and smiled to her friends.

"Well… What do we do now?" She tilted her head as she looked around the kitchen. "Wow, good work you guys. Thanks." She looked up the stairs as Seeley came carefully down, favoring his left side as he moved. He was barefoot and still in his sleep pants, but he had a shirt on now.

"Morning ladies." He said as he went to the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of coke. After his morning cup of coffee, he usually switched over to coke. He nodded, then sauntered out as he was wont to do on a day off, presumably towards his wife's workroom to watch TV undisturbed. The workroom was the only place the kids wouldn't go. It was a force of habit that had gone from necessary to comforting when he needed the familiarity.

"I think we'll be on our way. We gotta go…shopping and stuff." Angela tugged Tempe towards the door. Anden followed them out. She enjoyed their company, but right now they wanted to let her be, and she knew she wanted to be alone with Seeley right now. Shutting the door behind her friends, she started up towards her workroom. Letting herself in, she shut the door behind her and went over to the corner off to the right, devoid of anything but a couch and a tv. Seeley sat on the couch flipping through the channels in search of something to watch. He didn't take his eyes off the TV, but instead shifted towards her. His legs were drawn up on the couch, his left stretched out and the right foot pointing towards his left knee. Anden sat down, resting her back along his front, her head once more pillowed on his chest.

"Are they gone?" Seeley asked softly.

"Yes." Anden said as she tugged the remote from his hand and changed it to a channel. Seeley yelped and tugged back the remote, then Anden stole it back. For a moment there was a struggle, but they soon compromised and chose a channel.

"Don't get me wrong, I like them. They're like the sisters I never had. But they get a little bit annoying some times." Seeley said.

"How so?" Anden asked.

"Tempe is awesome, you know? But it's exhausting always having to explain pop culture references. And until I let her meet you, she used to… take our partnership a little seriously. We're partners at work who solve cases, not partners outside of work who like to rumple sheets." Seeley grumped. "And Angela, she used to try to put me and Bones together. Still does when she's not paying attention." Seeley sighed and curled around her a little better.

"Sometimes my love, flirting is just flirting. It can mean that Tempe is getting more comfortable. And it's natural for Angela to want people around her to get closer in that way. She's a bit of a matchmaker. But you're one person, and I'm another. We've a life together and a life separate. You've never tried to hide me, nor tried to show me off. But yes, it is frustrating for you." Anden reached up and rubbed Seeley's cheek. "I'm sure every man in that lab has his high points, but baby you gotta admit you're the hottest thing they see day in and day out." Anden laughed as Seeley snorted.

"Well I'm definitely hotter than Hodgins and Zach. I guess if you put it that way it's not so bad." Seeley admitted.

"And you're totally the alpha male, which women tend to harbor the most feelings about." Anden continued. "I mean, the whole gruff caveman thing makes us stand up straighter and pay attention. But then you got this really sweet kind side to round it all out. My outstanding, sweet guy." She snuggled back down into him and closed her eyes for a moment.

"Why do people always say alpha male?" Seeley asked.

"It's just how you are. You naturally take charge of a room and lead them. You're overconfident and cocky, but somehow you seem to always be right. Been that way since… well probably before I met you. Used to drive me up the wall, that it truly did." Anden admitted.

Seeley kissed her head and just relaxed with her. He was sore everywhere, every time he moved sent a little jolt of pain through his system. He hated it, feeling weak like he did now. Every time he moved, Anden was there helping him, and as always he was grateful for her presence. Night fell, and they had nearly gone to sleep once more when they heard the children. Anden's parents had been the first people he had called, wanting his children to know he was back. Anden was close enough just to surprise.

Footsteps thundered throughout the house as the kids raced into the den at the back of the house. Seeley stood, opening his arms to sixteen year old son Parker, his fourteen year old daughter Lieney (short for Caralien, after her grandmother) and eight year old son Aidan. They hugged him tightly, making him wince as he rediscovered cracked ribs. Finally they let go, all three had tears pooling in their eyes. Seeley looked up to see Caralien and Loren coming in, Anden sandwiched between them. Loren had streaks of grey going through his curly black hair, and Caralien's hair was slowly fading each time he saw her. Their faces still looked young, as Anden's looked as if she were in her early twenties instead of her mid thirties. Seeley took a moment to let his mind boggle before going back to his children.

"Miss me, didn't ya?" Seeley grinned and hugged them again. Parker was as tall as he was now, halfway to his seventeenth birthday. His blonde hair fell in ringlet curls in that mop he'd preferred since he was a child. He was wearing jeans and a t shirt proclaiming that he was 'American by birth, Scottish by the grace of God'. Seeley looked to Lieney next. Her face bore many of the same features as Parker, but her hair was brown like his. It gleamed like mink in the light from the ceiling. She too wore jeans, although in his opinion they were far too tight and he could see things he never wanted to see once she was potty trained. She wore an even tighter shirt, and he read what was printed there. 'My parents told me I could be anything I wanted to be, so I became a pirate' was emblazoned across her chest next to a skeletal pirate smoking a bubble pipe. He grinned and hugged them again. His children loved their caustic shirts about as much as he loved his socks and belt buckles. He then looked to Aidan, who unlike the other two were ready to step back, Aidan just held him tighter. The lad was Anden's in every way. His bright red hair was slightly long and in a mop which he occasionally spiked, but mostly left alone. Freckles spread over pale white skin, so many freckles sometimes it looked like he was one big freckle. Aidan's shirt was green with some long list about Zelda. His boy had been raiding his uncle's shirts again, who in turn had stolen the shirt from Seeley until he gave it to Tom and gotten himself another one. Anden now had her own shirt as well, since she had raided the shirt from Tom on occasion as well. Now it looked like they were going to have to get Aidan one in his size, and that made Seeley smile. The hunter green t-shirt hung to the boys knees where jeans peeked out. Seeley rubbed a hand along his sons jaw and cheek, reassuring him he was alive.

"Thank you for bringing them so quickly." Seeley faced his parent's in law, and smiled. The kids had been sent up to Pittsburgh for the past couple of days, and the trip from Pittsburgh took all day if not planned carefully. It had taken all day due to the call at odd hours.

"Most of the cousins that were told of your death were rightly informed of the situation. Cousin Anden is coming up to give you an inspection, as she put it, before she heads out to California." Loren said before clapping Seeley on the shoulder. Seeley smiled at that. He had always had an affinity for the nearly one hundred year old woman who bopped around as if she were much younger. The fact that she was his Anden's namesake had a little to do with it as well though.

"Anden called my parents. They should be coming in, and Matt and Jared said they would come by in the next week." Seeley answered as they moved to relax in the den. He was getting tired once more, but as he deposited Aidan on his lap, he realized he didn't want to leave the comforts of his family. It just felt right.


	4. Chapter 4

_Annnnd__ it's the final chapter of this story. What happens next? I'm glad you asked. Seeley keeps telling me, ask and you shall receive. Well, I don't think you're asking, but I am. So here's this last __chappie__, then we move onto the next rung! __Yay__! Once again, I love reviews. All things __recognizeable__, I pretty much don't own, and I'm most definitely not making any money off of. Le sigh, so sad. _

Three weeks after Seeley had come home, Anden got the call that her century old third cousin was dead. Anden and Seeley packed to go to Florida, where Anden the Elder lived. Andy's parents were invited to watch the children, and they readily agreed. Seeley and Andy were on the plane less than three hours later, sitting in coach seats and trying to keep the grief away with their childish antics. The flight didn't take long, about another three hours. Once at the Tampa airport, Seeley rented a car and began driving up the 19 towards New Port Richey. They pulled up at Anden's home in Timber Oaks, a retirement community in the large town. Another car occupied the driveway, and the garage door was wide open, full of boxes. Seeley admired the workbenches and the racks on the wall, each tool having an outlined place on the wall. Andy went up and rang the doorbell, pulling Seeley by his sleeve over. The door was answered by a girl in her early twenties, her long waist length hair tossed into a messy ponytail, balancing the boy that Anden had had with her on her hip. She gaped for a moment at Seeley, then opened the screen door to the house. Anden watched the girl regain her composure, then she offered a hand between the two.

"Uh, hello there. I'm Natalie, Anden's granddaughter. And this is Fox." Natalie introduced herself to the Angel-look alike and the redheaded woman. Angel's could be twin looked a few years older and had… an actual tan. The woman was short, very short even by Natalie's standards. Compared to Anden, Natalie felt like an Amazon. Fox seemed to know the two, and held his arms out to the Angel-twin.

"Seeley! Seeley Hi!" Fox crowed as Seeley took the toddler and tossed him a bit into the air before catching him.

"I'm Anden, and this is Seeley my husband." Anden stepped in as Natalie invited them in. Seeley tugged Fox up onto his shoulders and went inside. Natalie swept a hand around the house, which was in a state of disarray since she had currently been cleaning out decades worth of… well crap.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, I'm sure. My husband is around somewhere… I don't know where. He's blonde, looks like Billy Idol, don't be afraid. My brother I think is in Granddaddy's bedroom, over there. So you guys can take Anden's room." Natalie pointed to the left of the house, where Anden had slept after her own husband Emmett died nearly ten years ago. Anden nodded.

"So Anden was watching your son or something?" Seeley asked as he let Fox down. Fox grabbed up a stuffed…thing and ran into the bedroom on the other side of the house. It was only a two bedroom, but it worked.

"I don't have a…Oh, you mean Fox?" Natalie said as she wandered into the kitchen. Anden and Seeley followed her, looking around. The house certainly hadn't changed.

"Anden had him at our place almost a month ago. Was she watching him?" Seeley asked as Anden disappeared into a room on the other side of the kitchen.

"Fox's parents were killed almost a month ago. About two weeks ago, she brought him to me in California, and we adopted him." Natalie explained. "So this is the kitchen. You guys are free to do whatever in the house." Natalie said. Seeley smiled at her as she went off into the blue bedroom. Seeley began to explore the small house. He soon saw that it was laid out in a sort of circular layout. Everything was joined by hallways. There was a sitting room/dining room as the entrance. Off to the left of that was the kitchen, and to the right was the blue bedroom. If you went into the kitchen, you would go into the living room, and taking a left there would find you at the yellow bedroom, Anden's room. Past that was a bathroom, and back to the garage and the front door. Several toys were scattered about, and Seeley soon saw Natalie scooping the toys into a toy box in the foyer.

"When's the funeral?" Seeley looked at the young girl, who paused in her picking up toys to look at him. Her eyes were green like his Anden's but they were so different. Red haired and green eyed, but the two were so different in stature and builds. This girl had some definite warrior status, she moved as if she knew every inch of muscle and what it could do.

"Coupla days." Natalie answered before standing. "Three, actually." Natalie nodded to herself as she patted herself off. Seeley vaguely heard the phone ringing, and Natalie went off to answer it. Seeley sat, picked up a photo album. As he opened it, the front door slammed open and a Billy Idol look alike came in, followed closely by a tall boy with light brown hair and brown eyes, and another tall girl with dark black hair and brown eyes. The bleach blonde stopped short and both teens slammed into his back.

"God, Spike. You could really warn a girl when you're gonna stop." Amanda whined before reaching around Chris to shove Spike's shoulder. Spike stepped aside and Amanda stepped through. She too stopped up short as she stared at Seeley on the couch, who lifted a hand and waved.

"It's just Angel. Why are we stopping? Pizza should be here soon." Chris grumbled and pushed Amanda aside gently before going into the kitchen.

"That's not peaches." Spike growled slightly before following Chris. Amanda looked at Seeley, lifting a brow.

"I'm Seeley. Who are you?" Seeley stood and offered the dark haired girl his hand. Amanda snorted and turned around.

"Obviously someone who needs her eyes checked." Amanda went into the blue bedroom. Natalie darted through from the kitchen, looking at Seeley in a panic, then disappeared into the blue bedroom as well.

"Well something's going on here, isn't it?" Seeley grumbled.

Natalie slammed the door behind her and leaned against it. Angel was on the bed, changing Fox's diaper. Amanda sat at the desk, staring at Angel.

"We've got trouble." Natalie said softly. Angel finished Fox's diaper and began to settle the toddler's pants before looking up.

"What kind of trouble?" Angel looked up.

"The kind where my brother has some kind of double and obviously forgot to tell me?" Natalie glared at her brother. Angel paled and stood, pushing Natalie out of the way to peer out the door. Seeley stood in the kitchen, diving into a pizza box with Chris.

"I would say that's trouble. He looks just like me." Angel shut the door and leaned against it.

"What are we going to do?" Natalie asked, lifting Fox up and burying her face in his comforting baby smell. Fox wriggled and squirmed, begging to get down. Natalie set him down and motioned for Angel to let him out.

"Why don't we just… show him Angel?" Amanda suggested. Natalie immediately opened her mouth to reject the idea, then rethought it.

"That's actually a really good idea. I mean, there are enough differences. Meanwhile, we should figure out why." Natalie said. Angel nodded. They heard Seeley shouting then.

"Anden! Come and eat pizza!" Seeley hollered before sitting in the living room with a plate. Natalie and Amanda trooped out into the kitchen, meeting Anden from the other side. After a moment, Angel came into the living room with a plate of pizza and sat at the small table in front of the TV. Seeley choked and spit out his pizza onto the plate.

"Christ…almighty." Seeley breathed as he stared at his twin. He set the plate on the couch and rubbed his palms across his eyes before looking back to Angel. Fox ran between him and Angel, Spike chasing after the young boy, and still the vision didn't disappear. His twin turned and smiled slightly at Seeley.

"My name is Angel." Angel introduced himself, though just as shell shocked as Seeley. Both swallowed, almost a mirror image of one another.

Less than an hour later found Anden and Seeley in their room. Natalie sat at the small table, smoking a cigarette and laying out photos of the victims they had found in the state park. All the victims were exsanguinated, a process that drained the blood from the body. The body was then opened up, the organs removed and burned with the blood in a bowl. Angel had recovered the ashes of the organs. Natalie stared at the pictures as she inhaled, then flicked the ash of her cigarette into the ashtray.

"Those are some pictures, Miss Natalie." Seeley said as he looked at the table. Natalie jumped, trying to gather the pictures close to her. Seeley just held up a hand, stopping her. "It's alright, it's nothing I haven't seen before."

"These pictures are very personal to my clients, Seeley." Natalie admonished as she stubbed out the cigarette and gathered the pictures.

"I understand. If you need my help, please give me a call." Seeley scrawled a couple of numbers on the back of the card, then handed Natalie a business card. Natalie read the card, then looked up to Seeley.

"You're an FBI agent?" Natalie tilted her head to look at the fairly battered man. He just shrugged and so she took out a business card of her own. Rummaging through the clutter on the table, she found a pen and scrawled an email address.

"You can call us, any of us except for Chris and Amanda, on a daily basis at this number." Natalie handed the card to Seeley.

"Angel Investigations?" Seeley asked.

"Yep, we help the helpless." Natalie agreed and stood up.

They spent a week together, the two different sides of the family, and they decided they actually liked one another. It was still strange seeing two of the Angel/Seeley's and Spike never let Natalie forget it. Anden and Natalie kept in touch with one another, and Seeley even picked up the phone to Natalie and Fox every once in a while. Angel spoke to Anden often, and Seeley and Angel spoke. The only one who didn't really talk to the DC'ers was Spike, who only got on the phone under coercion, so it didn't really surprise them.

After talking with Seeley for a while, Natalie began to understand that he worked with cases almost like A.I.'s, except… more human. Natalie and Seeley were able to bounce ideas off one another quite often, and that was nice for both of them. Until one day when she got a very strange call from Seeley.

"Angel Investigations, we help the helpless."


End file.
